Burns
by Slumberdore
Summary: The Gaang investigates the mysterious burns on Zuko's chest. Set on Ember Island, just after they arrive and settle in. Addresses an abusive Father/Son relationship. Zutara. COMPLETE (Rated T because of child abuse/little bit of swearing)
1. Sand Canvas

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar material/characters, if I did then Zutara would be canon already**

 **Author's Note: Hey guys!** I am sooo excited, this is my first fic, like ever! Completely new, fresh meat! So please please review, it's what makes an author like me want to post! I've been wanting to make a story for a while, so I decided to start small. This is going to be about 3 or 4 chapters long. No more than that, and takes place after the Southern Raiders and before The Ember Island Players - right after the GAang arrives at the vacation home.

Alrighty, this story has been on my mind for a while. I was thinking that Ozai already mentally abuses Zuko, so it wouldn't make sense for him to not physically abuse him as well. In this story, Ozai would burn Zuko on his chest and back (where they could be covered in public). The Gaang notices these burns (along with the obvious one on his face), and put the pieces together. They then try to get Zuko to tell them about what his father did to him.

Sorry about the long author's note… anyway! Enjoy and please review!

xXx

The avatar and the banished prince were standing in a courtyard, both covered in sweat and trying to deal with the heat coming down in waves from the setting sun above them. "Alright, now I want you to roar like a Tigerdillo," Zuko demanded.

Aang straightened up and inhaled, before he let loose an enormous shout accompanied with a hot stream of fire erupting from his mouth and fists. When he was done he looked nervously at his Sifu Hotman, who nodded in approval. Aang brightened immediately ‒ a nod from Zuko was like punch from Toph.

"Good, I'll show you one more move before we can get some dinner. This one will be harder." Zuko took a towel and wiped his brow, then peeled his shirt off. It was a hot day, the typical Ember Island weather. There was no wind and it was very humid, which made the atmosphere seem hotter than it really was. It was actually cooler than it was in the afternoon, which was why they waited to start their lesson in the evening.

Wiping the sweat off his face, Aang did a double-take when he glanced at Zuko's chest. It was covered in burn marks, and although they were not as bad as the one on his face, they were still noticeable. Aang never saw Zuko with his shirt off before, so he didn't know that his new friend's chest was covered in scars. He wondered how Zuko got them, just as he constantly wondered how his Sifu got the scar on his face.

"What…" Aang started, but quickly closed his mouth when he saw the wary look in Zuko's eyes, his Sifu did not want to talk about any of his scars. Zuko raised an eyebrow at his student's unfinished question.

"'What' what?" He asked.

Aang swallowed nervously. "Ummm… What move did you want to show me?" He noted that after he asked his improvised question, Zuko exhaled slowly, like he was holding his breath.

"It's called the Phoenix Dive, it's one of the advanced sets that my Uncle taught me. But don't worry," he added, as Aang groaned. "It's not as hard as it looks. You just have to get the movements right, I'll do it first and then we can do it together."

Moving towards the center of the courtyard they were practicing in, Zuko took a deep breath. Suddenly, he rushed forward and jumped, performing a perfect somersault in midair. On his way back to the ground; he kicked with his right foot, and a giant plume of fire flew across the courtyard before smashing into a column, which crumbled to the ground. Zuko landed in a crouched position, ready to continue fighting. He stood up and looked at Aang.

"Since you're an airbender, this one should be relatively easy for you to do. Normal firebenders have to spend weeks perfecting the jump and building up the muscles to get high enough. You could combine your airbending with this move so you could get higher than any other firebender could." Walking back, Zuko motioned Aang towards the center. "Try it now."

Aang smiled. This move looked like fun! Reaching the center of the courtyard, he ran and leapt 20 feet into the air and completed three somersaults before releasing a jet of fire from both of his feet. He landed lightly on the ground and gave a bow.

Zuko sighed before looking at the very pleased avatar. "Well done, but the bow was unnecessary."

Aang grinned sheepishly. "Thanks, Sifu Hotman."

Zuko frowned. "I thought I told you not to call me that." Aang continued to grin. Zuko sighed again. "Okay, that's enough for today. I'm going to wash up before dinner." Turning, Zuko headed for the bathhouse, taking his shirt with him. Aang's smile vanished when he saw that there were more burns on Zuko's back. They looked like whip marks.

xXx

Katara passed a bowl of rice to a hungry and whiny Sokka, who quickly started to devour his food in a very animalistic fashion. "Sokka," she exclaimed exasperatedly. "Are you going to breathe in between those bites?"

Sokka continued to inhale his food, that is until Suki flicked his head with her fingers. Choking, Sokka turned to the Kyoshi warrior and glared. Katara laughed and spooned herself some dinner, before settling down with the rest of the gang.

She glanced around. Toph was sprawled on the ground, idly playing with her meteor rock that Sokka had gifted to her. Zuko was quietly eating his food, but this didn't concern Katara ‒ he was always this taciturn. Suki was currently having a stare-down with Sokka. Katara frowned when she looked at Aang. He would alternate between picking at his food and glancing at Zuko when the firebender wasn't looking. He looked concerned. What was he worried about?

"Aang, what's wrong?" Katara asked. She had to, she hated it when Aang was anything but his happy self. And when he wasn't, she would always be there to make him feel better, just like she did with Sokka.

Aang looked up, startled. Everybody else looked at the nervous avatar, too. "Umm.. nothing." Aang fiddled with his chopsticks. "Why do you ask?" He added quickly. Katara frowned. He was lying. Why won't he tell her? Maybe it was something she could ask him in private. The rest of the gang looked disbelievingly at Aang.

"You look stressed," she replied. The airbender sighed.

"Oh come on, Twinkletoes," Toph scoffed. "I can tell you're lying. Is it Katara's cooking?"

Aang laughed nervously. "Nothing's wrong, I don't know what you're talking about. Thanks for the rice, Katara." Aang stood and shuffled towards the exit. "I'm going to bed, goodnight." And he backed quickly out of the room.

"What's with him?" Sokka asked the silent group. Katara stood up and quickly left the room, following the distressed avatar. She overheard her brother as she left: "What's with her?"

xXx

Aang passed his bedroom, but didn't enter. He needed some air. Slipping through the enormous front door, he headed towards the beach. He frowned. Aang didn't know why he was so worked up about Zuko's scars. He just didn't understand, he wanted to know so badly how his Sifu got them. They didn't look accidental. There is no way that they were from training ‒ the scars were too consistent, too similar to be accidents.

Reaching the shore, Aang sat down in the sand and stared at the horizon. He knew where his thoughts were headed, but he didn't want to accept them. It was so _wrong_ , but it was the only plausible answer he could think of. Somebody purposely did this to Zuko, probably the same person who gave him the scar on his face. But who, and most importantly, _why?_

Aang jumped suddenly when he heard footsteps approaching. "Aang?" A timid voice sounded behind him. He relaxed. It was Katara, just the person he needed to figure this out. She was always there for him, she always cared, and that was why he loved her so much.

Katara sat down beside him and stared determinedly into his face. "Aang," she said in a caring but stern voice. "I know that something is wrong. Please, tell me, I could help you." He looked into her eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that seemed like two endless wells of kindness and compassion. He sighed.

"How do you always know when I need to talk to someone," he asked, in an exasperated and admiring voice. She smiled, but stared expectantly at him. "Oh alright, I'll spill," he relented. "It's Zuko, he's got these scars…. besides the one on his face," he added quickly when Katara opened her mouth. "You should see them Katara, they cover his chest, burn marks all over. His back is worse. And I was thinking… that maybe they aren't accidental… that maybe…" He stopped, he couldn't say it outloud, because then it could be _real_.

"You mean you think someone did that to him…" Katara asked slowly, her eyes widening. Aang nodded sadly. She stared at the sand, and they sat in silence for a while. It was a heavy, melancholy silence, and it weighed down on them like a heavy blanket. "But…" Katara started, looking at him uncertainly. "Who would-" She stopped, gazing at him with those cerulean eyes. She looked sickened, horrified.

"What?" Aang asked warily. She didn't answer, but continued to stare at him. "Katara," he prompted. She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"Well… Zuko told me that his mom disappeared when he was very little, so it was just him living with Azula and Ozai. And you know how cruel Ozai is…" She bit her lip.

"Where are you going with this?" Aang asked her, confused.

"Aang, what if it was Ozai?" Katara said it quickly, like it would be easier to comprehend if she said it faster. "We all know how much Zuko hates him. And I can't imagine Azula doing something like that to him, she's two years younger, so she would have been very little in the time that their mother disappeared and when he was banished. So that leaves... Ozai."

Aang felt sick to his stomach. Oh spirits ‒ his own _father?_ Monk Gyatso was like a father to him ‒ but he could never imagine him hurting anybody, and certainly not Aang. He hoped that they were wrong, he hoped that maybe Zuko got all his scars from training. But deep down Aang knew that Katara's thoughts were right, even if Zuko never gave them any evidence to confirm their suspicions. He looked up at his waterbender Sifu. "Should we talk to him?"

Katara traced a finger through the sand, creating the symbol of the water tribes. "Not tonight… we should ask him tomorrow. Maybe if we talk to the others we can figure out a way to get him to tell us. Aang, he isn't used to people caring about him. Maybe if we show him that we're his new family then he'll tell us."

Aang nodded, and added the Air Nomad symbol to Katara's sand-canvas. He proceeded to draw the Earth Kingdom symbol while Katara made the Fire Nation's. Together, they stood up and walked back towards the beach house, each occupied with their own thoughts.

Back on the shore; the rising tides advanced and retreated again, leaving the sand-canvas blank.

xXx

 **A/N:** This is not a new update, this was just me fixing some stuff that my readers pointed out! (*waves at all of you who sent critiques*) Enjoy the next chapter!


	2. Soupbending

**Disclaimer: Still do not own Avatar, still sad about it**

xXx

Katara diced up the carrots and slid them into the stew. It wasn't really the right weather to be eating hot liquid-food, but she just couldn't concentrate enough to make anything else. After stirring the mixture for a bit, she deemed the stew ready to eat. With a flick of her wrist, she pulled water out of thin air (It wasn't that hard, the humid atmosphere was full of it), and doused her tiny cooking fire. Leaning back, she wiped off the sweat that was forming on her brow. Fire Nation weather sucked.

It was still early morning, the sun had risen a few hours ago. Which meant that Sokka and Toph were most definitely asleep, and would continue to be for at least an hour. Suki was off on the beach, practicing advanced combat moves with Sokka's space sword. Aang would be waking up soon. And Zuko was meditating somewhere. He was always up before Katara, being a firebender who rose with the sun and all.

Katara still didn't know how to tell the others what she and Aang talked about the night before. And how to do it without Zuko knowing. She thought a lot about her new friend last night, and decided that if they just showed Zuko that they cared, then he would feel more comfortable with sharing his past. Because their little gaang was a family, they could tell each other anything. Aang, Suki, Toph; they were like her siblings. And Zuko, well Katara didn't know what he was to her. A friend, but not a brother.

Katara's thoughts were interrupted when Aang entered the kitchen, yawning loudly. She scooped some stew into a bowl and handed it him when he reached her.

"Thanks, Katara. This looks delicious." If Aang thought it was weird to have stew for breakfast on such a hot day, he didn't voice it.

Katara nodded absentmindedly, still trying to figure out her thoughts regarding Zuko. First she would talk to the others, then they could‒

"Hey Katara, look, I'm soupbending!" Looking up, Katara watched as Aang spun a stream of stew through the air. He made it spin across the room and back, where it flew straight into the airbender's open mouth.

"That's great, Aang." Aang frowned. He was obviously hoping for some sort of praise, or even applause. But Katara wasn't in the mood for applauding to soupbending tricks.

Aang sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking," she replied.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

"Zuko."

"Oh." Aang glanced around the room, as if Zuko himself was hiding in the shadows. After he was sure that his firebending Sifu wasn't in the room, he whispered: "What are we going to do?"

"I think we should tell the others before we talk to him. Maybe you and I could tell them after he goes to bed. And when everybody is filled in, we could talk to Zuko at breakfast tomorrow."

Aang met her eyes. "Katara, I've been thinking last night. I want to help Zuko as much as you do, but are you sure we should talk to Zuko together? Or at all? He's never talked about any of his past before, and he might think that we're trying to pry into his personal business."

"That's why we need to show him that we care!" Katara exclaimed. "Listen, I know that he never had the best family experiences, but he needs to know that we are his family now. And family tells each other _everything_." She knew that Aang was being reasonable, but Katara needed to know. She wanted Zuko to tell them. She wanted to know why he kept to himself, and why he needs to lock his feelings inside. Katara always had this _urge_ to understand people, to talk to them and help them through their problems.

Aang looked uncertain. "But don't you think‒" He faltered when Zuko strode into the room and grabbed a bowl. "‒ that it's too hot for soup?" He finished loudly, looking nervously at Zuko. The firebender ladled himself some stew and sat down across from them.

"Sorry, Aang, but that's all I could make with the food we have. We need to get some more." Katara played along.

"There's a market a mile or two that way," Zuko gestured behind him with his spoon. "And I think there's some apples on the tree in the front."

Aang looked sheepishly at his Sifu. "Not anymore…" He mumbled guiltily. Zuko shrugged and continued eating.

"That's perfect!" Katara clapped her hands together. "I'm sure the others would like to get out of the house anyway. You and Aang would have to stay behind though, someone could recognise you two." Aang visibly drooped when Katara said this, and Zuko shrugged again.

"That's okay with me, I hate shopping. I could give Aang another lesson while you're doing that." Zuko finished his stew right as a sleepy Toph and wide-awake Suki entered. Toph sat next to Zuko while Suki served her some food.

"How ya doing, Twinkletoes?" Toph asked, slurping her stew very loudly. Katara pursed her lips in disapproval.

"I'm fine, Toph. Absolutely positively splendid." Aang squeaked.

Toph set her bowl down, a small frown appearing on her face. "Okay, spit it out. I can tell something's up. Is it the same thing that was bothering you last night?" Now Zuko and Suki were looking at Aang, who glanced nervously at Katara.

"Well…" He began, but was saved by a very hungry Sokka, who burst into the room.

"Morning, is that food I smell?" Katara never thought she would be so happy to hear her brother talk about food. Sokka immediately filled a bowl and chugged it, not even stopping to chew, until the bowl was empty. He filled the bowl again and sat down with the rest of them.

Toph was still looking at Aang. Katara felt she needed to change the subject before Aang blew it. "We need more food, we don't have much left." she started. That got Sokka's attention. He looked very concerned ‒ more concerned than all the times theirs lives have been on the line. "So we're going to the market today!" Her brother let out a sigh of relief.

"Sounds good. I'll go with you, to make sure you get enough meat." Katara rolled her eyes. Of course he thought of meat first.

"Then I'll come along to make sure he behaves." Suki laughed as her boyfriend pouted.

Toph snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure that's why. It's not like you and Snoozles will disappear the moment we get there. I can feel what you guys do at night."

Sokka and Suki each turned shades of deep red, and avoided eye contact. "We don't.. It's not like that.. We were just.." They stammered.

"Yeah, yeah." Toph was clearly enjoying herself. "My feet don't lie. Anyway, I'll go too. It's boring here." Katara beamed. This was perfect, she could tell them all about Zuko while they walked back from the market!

"Then let's go!" Katara stood up and looked at Aang. "You guys stay here, we'll be back soon." Aang looked worriedly at her. She knew that he still didn't like what she was about to do, but she ignored him. She was doing what's best for Zuko.

" _Or is that what you're telling yourself?"_ Said a voice in her head. " _You can't possibly think that this is the right way."_ She ignored the voice, too.

xXx

Firenation markets are _way_ different than any market that Katara has been to before. Why do they feel the need to put a buttload of spice in everything? And where do they find all these different spices? She never used anything but salt and seaweed to compliment her food back home in the South Pole.

Sokka instantly made the mistake of eating fireflakes again. Zuko, who seems to have no spice-limit at all, eats them by the handfuls. Her brother thinks that his manliness is being threatened by the fireflake-freak-Zuko, so he's trying to prove that he can handle spice. Big mistake. Sokka put one flake on his tongue and immediately yelped, spit it out, and rush off to the nearest dairy stall with an amused/exasperated Suki trailing behind him.

Toph kept telling blind jokes. "Are you sure that Banana is ripe? It looks questionable to me." "Wow, that meat looks delicious." "I really like that girl's outfit, it brings out her eyes." Katara learned to ignore them, but Sokka fell for them every time.

After thirty agonizing minutes of enduring endless spices, blind jokes, and brother/fireflake battles, Katara had run out of patience and money. With the help of Suki, she dragged her brother away from the fireflake stall and onto the path back to the house. Toph, who got bored after she ran out of blind jokes, was waiting for them.

Katara led them down the path, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to tell them. She was sure that they would agree with her, Zuko needed to know that they were there for him. But there was something else. Katara felt like _she_ needed to know what Zuko had gone through. She wanted to understand him, she wanted to help him. Hopefully they will be closer after they talk.

The path winded through the lush Ember Island jungle. As usual, the jungle was swelteringly hot, and everybody was sweating through their clothing. When they reached a clearing, Katara sat everyone down in the shade and told them she had something important she wanted to discuss with them, Toph immediately exclaimed "I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!"

Katara frowned and yelled "No I didn't!" Why did everyone think that? Okay, yes, maybe she did have a little crush on Haru when she first met him. But how was this her fault? He was very handsome, and he was the first boy she's ever met that was her age and not her brother. Of course she would be a little attracted to him! But she quickly got over it, and she definitely does not want to kiss a guy with a mustache.

"First of all, there was _nothing_ between Haru and me. _Nothing_. That is not what I wanted to talk about," Katara insisted.

"Sure," Toph obviously didn't believe her. "But Haru definitely thought that there was something between you two." Katara's frown deepened. This discussion was not going well, and she hadn't even started it. She elected to ignore the last comment and change the topic. Preferably to what she actually wanted to talk about.

"Anyway," She started. "I wanted to talk to you guys about Zuko."

"Oh no." Sokka groaned. "Katara, I thought you trust him now, Please don't tell me you found another made up reason for hating him."

"That's not it either," She snapped. "Seriously guys. Just let me tell you and then you can ask questions, okay?" Everyone nodded, looking apprehensive.

Katara took a deep breath. "Aang and I were talking last night…."

xXx

"So you want to talk to Zuko about his scars," Sokka said bluntly. "Katara, I don't think this is a good idea. He doesn't ever talk about that stuff. It's probably because he doesn't want to."

They were not taking this well. Toph wasn't even aware that Zuko had any scars, so they had to describe them to her. It was so easy to forget that she was blind, so none of them had even thought that she hadn't known. Suki confessed that she often wondered how Zuko got the scar on his face, and neither she nor Sokka knew that he had scars on his chest too. Zuko wouldn't let anybody watch the firebending lessons, claiming that they would distract Aang (which is probably true).

"But he can't just bottle up his feelings inside and pretend everything's okay!" Katara was getting frustrated. "Look, if it was his father‒"

"But what if you're wrong?" Sokka interjected. "I can't imagine anybody doing that to their own child, even Ozai. And Zuko is not the type of guy to talk about his feelings. He barely talks at all!"

"We have to try," Katara pleaded. "Sokka, you tell me everything because we're family. Aang tells me everything, he's practically my brother." She looked at the others. "Toph, Suki, you're like my sisters. We don't keep secrets from each other, And now Zuko is part of our family. But we hardly know anything about him! All we know is that he loves fireflakes and hates his family."

"He likes his uncle," Toph added. "And he loved his mom."

Katara did a double take. "Hold on, how did you know about his mom?"

"He told me, back when you all hated him in the Western Air Temple. Believe it or not, he got lonely back there. So I decided to grace him with my friendship. We talked about our messed up families." Toph looked a bit saddened when she said that. "Sparky said that his mother and Uncle are the only ones in his family that were normal."

"Zuko is pretty normal," Suki said. "And I think that we should try to talk to him. The Kyoshi Warriors are a tight-knit group of fighters, but we are all family. They are my sisters, and I know that I can rely on any of them. It sound's like Zuko never had that with his family. We should try speaking to him about it. But," Suki added when she saw Katara's hopeful expression. "If he doesn't want to talk about it, we leave him alone."

Katara instantly agreed. It was a good compromise, and she didn't want to force Zuko to do anything. They gathered the food/supplies they bought in the market and continued down the path towards Zuko's vacation home.

xXx

A Kind Of Long Author's Note

Hello everybody! First of all, thank you all for reviewing and following my story! Secondly, I am so super schmooper sorry! I know that I promised I would update like a week ago, but sadly I am a horrible procrastinator. I seem to only be able to write when I should be doing something else. This story is actually a product of my procrastination skills (I wrote the first chapter when I should have been studying for finals).

So I know that a lot of you wanted to see the Gaang talk to Zuko this chapter, but I felt like it would be too rushed. So it will be next chapter. Don't worry, I am not going on a secret road trip/vacation thing for the rest of summer break, so I literally have all of July and August to update this story. I plan to finish the story by the end of July. I am thinking about adding some extra POV's (like Iroh, maybe Azula, idk) but those won't come for a while.

A shout out to the lovely ZukoWithHair, who has provided me with lots of good advice and also reminded me that people were waiting for the update I promised. Thanks ZukoWithHair! (*waves*)

Also a shout out to all of you who reviewed! These people are: BloomRay, zinneria, fanatla, when-the-fandoms-attacked, Flexistar, ZukoWithHair (*waves again*) and Brenne! (*pretend that I am hugging you, unless you have personal space issues, then you should pretend that I am nodding at you in approval from a safe distance*) I love reviews, they make me happy and also remind me that actual real people are aware of my existence and approve of my writing. Don't be afraid to send me constructive criticism! But don't yell at me, I tend to cry when people do that…

LAST THING: Make sure to check my profile to see how the next chapter is currently going! I make sure to update my profile often, so you always know what I am doing. Go check it now to see the status of Chapter 3!

.


	3. Unexpected Cuddling

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from the Avatar universe. Don't remind me.

Wow, this is 24 pages long!

Warning: Zuko swears in this chapter. Just tiny swears though!

xXx

Aang used his chopsticks to pick at his fried rice. All was quiet as the Gaang ate their dinner around the cooking fire. It wasn't complete silence, there was the clinking of bowls and the occasional overdramatic screams from Sokka when Momo stole his food. But there wasn't any talking, no conversations. Nobody knew what to say. They ate their food and occasionally made awkward eye contact before hurriedly turning their attention elsewhere. Like watching Toph pick her feet (actually - not a fun thing to watch while eating).

The rhythmic scraping of stone on metal was the most prominent noise. Zuko had already finished his food and was currently occupied with sharpening his dao swords (and Sokka's boomerang, he gave up protesting after the endless nagging). The rest of the Gaang would sneak hurried glances at the firebender when he wasn't looking. Aang knew that his friends were thinking of a way to get Zuko to talk. He already decided that he wasn't going to help them - but he wasn't going to stop them either. Maybe Zuko really did need a reminder that he could confide in them. But there was a part of Aang that really didn't want to know how Zuko got his scars.

It was pretty easy to forget that Zuko was related to Azula and Ozai. He was nothing like them. And then he would talk to them and say "my sister" or "my father" and then things would get awkward. Because they knew that Zuko hated his family just like the rest of them, but they were his _family_. He was fighting his family. Aang would have to fight and defeat _his_ father. That's mega-awkward to talk about in front of him. That was already bad enough, but if his father physically abused Zuko too, that scared Aang. He was going to have to fight - and maybe kill* - this guy. The guy who had no problem with scarring his own son.

Aang was startled out of his thoughts when Katara broke the silence.

xXx

Katara looked around at her suddenly taciturn friends and frowned. If they weren't going to start this, then she would.

"Sokka," She started. For some reason Aang jumped about a foot in the air when she spoke. "Do you miss the South Pole?"

Sokka clearly didn't know where she was going with this, but he went along after a stern look from her. "Umm, yeah, I guess. I miss Gran-gran, and I miss the blubbered seal jerky, and I miss the authority that I had as the only warrior capable of taking care of the tribe" (Katara rolled her eyes at this). "But at the same time, I'm glad we left. I would never have known what the world was like outside of the poles, or been able to bash some firebender's heads in, or met Suki" (His girlfriend planted a kiss on his cheek after he said that).

"I don't really miss Kyoshi Island," Suki mused. "I miss the Kyoshi Warriors. They're still in prison, and I don't even know where. They were my family, and now we're separated."

"Don't worry," Sokka reassured the sad-Suki. "We'll find them. And they can take care of themselves, they had a great teacher." Katara grinned as Suki gave her brother a grateful smile. They were honestly the cutest couple.

"Well I don't miss my parents," Toph declared in a loud voice. Katara knew that Toph loved her parents and even missed them a little, but the tough earthbender would never admit that. "And I _certainly_ don't miss pretending to be bad at earthbending. Being able to whoop your guy's butts whenever I want is the best thing ever!" To emphasize this, Toph stomped her foot and sent Sokka flying into the air. He landed with an "oomf" right next to the fire.

"Watch it, Toph!" Her brother shrieked as he scrambled away from embers. "You could've burned me!"

"Oh relax, Snoozles. I had it completely under control." Toph was not making any efforts to hide her amusement.

Katara felt that the current discussion was getting off topic. Zuko hadn't said anything, and was now (very reluctantly) sharpening Sokka's boomerang.

"Zuko," she asked. "What was it like growing up in a Fire Nation palace?

The firebender looked up and shrugged. "It was okay I guess…" They all stared at him until he understood that they expected more details. "Well, there were servants everywhere and the food was good. I was always exploring the palace. It was so big that by the time I left, there were still places I haven't been in."

"Why did you leave?" Suki inquired. Zuko looked very uncomfortable.

"I was… well… My father... ordered me to find the Avatar- I mean Aang." He seemed very fidgety. But they were getting somewhere, Katara wasn't going to stop now.

"But why?" Sokka asked, before Katara even opened her mouth. "Aang hadn't been seen for a hundred years. Why did Ozai send you to find someone that everyone thought was dead?"

Zuko shifted on the ground, obviously not happy with this discussion. "It was a punishment. When I was thirteen I spoke out of term at a war meeting, so I was banished and sent to capture the Avatar."

Toph let out a low whistle. "Wow, that's pretty harsh."

Zuko nodded. "He's not a very pleasant person."

They still hadn't got to what they wanted to discuss. Zuko was doing his best to dodge their questions, but he didn't know that they had planned this. They weren't going to change the subject. Katara tried a different approach. "So what was it like growing up with Ozai and Azula as your family?"

"It wasn't bad at first. Azula was pretty normal until she started firebending." He replied quickly. Maybe he thought that they were done with the previous topic, but Katara knew that they were just warming up. "I didn't start until I was six, but she started lessons when she was five. Azula was a natural, and father started giving her private lessons after she mastered the basics. She was always a bit," Zuko paused as he thought of an appropriate word to describe his insane sister. "odd back then, but after a while the lessons rubbed off on her I guess. That's when things got a little crazy between us."

"What did she do?" Aang asked. Katara raised an eyebrow at him. He already told her that he wasn't going to be a part of this conversation, but that was obviously thrown out of the window. His grey eyes were shining with curiosity. But they widened in horror with Zuko's answer.

"Well, that's when she started to try and kill me all the time."

Sokka choked on his food. Toph and Suki looked stunned. Aang stared at Zuko in disbelief while Katara gasped. Zuko looked amused.

"She would WHAT?" Sokka exclaimed, after he stopped coughing.

"Well, I don't think she actually _meant_ to kill me," Zuko tried to reassure them. "It was more of a game for her. Anytime I was seriously hurt she would freak out."

Katara couldn't believe this. Azula would try and kill her brother? And how could you try to kill someone and not actually mean it? That didn't make any sense. Toph seemed to agree with her on this, and voiced their thoughts out loud.

Zuko played with his sharpening stone in his hands. "Since I was the oldest, I was automatically the heir to the throne. But Azula always thought that she deserved it more. Father was always comparing us and pushing us to compete. With me out of the way then she would be the heir. But I don't think she ever actually wanted me dead."

Sokka looked beyond confused. "So what you're saying is that Azula would try to kill you, sometimes even seriously injuring you, but never actually meant any of it?" Zuko nodded.

"What would she do?" Suki asked, looking a little sickened.

Zuko looked way too casual for someone explaining how their _sister constantly tried to kill him_. "One time she pushed me into a pond when I was wearing ceremonial armor. I almost drowned, but she got a servant to help me after I passed out. And another time she set my room on fire and locked the door when I was sleeping. My uncle broke down the door and pulled me out, but I inhaled a lot of smoke couldn't stop coughing for weeks after that."

Aang made a squeaky noise. "Did she ever get punished for that?"

"Sometimes. She was always father's favorite and could get away with a lot of things. I think that father actually encouraged it. It's okay though, I got used to it."

Nobody knew what to say to that. Katara was stunned. What kind of sick person would encourage their children to try and kill each other? And how could Zuko possibly think that this was okay? That this was normal? Katara never thought of ways to kill her brother (okay, this was false. There were several times where she _thought_ about killing her brother- but those were just _thoughts_. Not actual attempts. No matter how ridiculous her brother is, she would always love him). This discussion was already getting dark, and they hadn't even talked about the scars yet. She decided that this was the perfect time to ask. If Zuko was comfortable with talking about his sister's assassination attempts, he would surely be able to talk to them about his scars. Katara took a deep breath,

She was going to have to be blunt with this, so Zuko couldn't change the subject.

"What about Ozai? Did he ever hurt you?"

Zuko looked stunned. "W- What?"

Everyone turned to look at the very uncomfortable firebender. They were going to have to tread carefully from now on. Zuko tends to set things on fire or yell when he is pressured, and they didn't want either of those things to happen.

"Did Ozai ever physically hurt you?" Sokka repeated. "Zuko, we all know that he must have done _something_ to you."

"Zuko, it's okay, you can tell us." Katara said gently.

They have never seen Zuko like this. His eyes were wide and his knuckles were white from holding the sharpening stone so tightly. He looked utterly miserable and scared at the same time.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said shakily.

"Yes you do," She prodded. "You have scars on your chest that you've been hiding from us" (Aang pointedly fiddled with his chopsticks to avoid Zuko's glare), "and you've never told us how you got the one on your face. You're part of our family now Zuko, and family tells each other everything."

Zuko didn't answer. Taking deep breaths, he stared into the fire.

Suki tried to help. "Zuko. We want to help you, I'm sure you'll feel better if you tell us. We'll understand, we won't-"

"No! You won't understand!" Zuko snapped. "How could any of you understand? You all grew up with families that loved you, you never had to deal with knowing that your own _father_ hated you!" The fire grew higher with every word. The Gaang were stunned into silence.

"I'm sure he didn't _hate_ you," Aang said hesitantly (oh, Aang is so innocent), but this just made Zuko angrier.

He stood up and shouted furiously: "He didn't even try to hide it! I worked my ass off everyday, I trained until I couldn't move anymore, but nothing I did ever pleased him. He thinks I'm a _pathetic failure_ , that I'm lucky to be _born_ , and he would say it right to my _face_! How could that be misinterpreted? He wants me dead, he's tried to kill me twice already!"**

The enraged firebender was breathing heavily and his fists were clenched. Everybody inched away from the now roaring fire, which was at least five feet high. Katara felt horrible. He was right, they couldn't understand that. Even if their mom was dead, at least Sokka and her had a loving father. The only person who could relate a little bit to parent trouble was Toph, but it was an entirely different situation. Toph's parents loved her fiercely, they just didn't understand her. But none of them have a parent who was actively trying to kill them. And did Zuko say that his father _already tried_ to kill him, _twice?_

"So he did hurt you. He gave you those scars." Toph said in a trembling voice.

"What- no that's not what I-" Zuko stammered.

Katara stood up and stepped towards Zuko. "It's okay. You're right, we don't understand. But we can still help you, Zuko. Ozai isn't your family anymore, we are. We're here to support you. But we can't help you if you lock your feelings inside. You can tell us."

Zuko was starting to edge towards the exit, and the fire began to jump around sporadically. Katara moved closer. She was so close, they were almost there.

"Zuko, did Ozai give you those scars?"

Something in Zuko's eyes shattered. His face flashed different emotions: rage, confusion, pain, loss, sadness. His hands were trembling. He stared at the floor to avoid her gaze. Katara glanced around at her friends. All of them were looking at the panicking firebender with concern.

Katara softly whispered his name, and Zuko met her eyes with his shattered ones. She held her breath, and by the sounds of it, the rest of the Gaang were holding theirs too.

So when Zuko whispered that one word, it was heard by all as it traveled through the silent room.

"Yes."

Katara exhaled slowly as Zuko stared dejectedly into the fire. She started towards him, meaning to give him a much-needed hug, but the banished prince backed away from her.

"N-No, don't. Not now- I just-" And before anyone could say anything else, he fled the room.

xXx

Zuko ran. He was running from his friends, his fears, his past. But you can't run away from your memories. They are always there to haunt you when you lie in bed alone, night after night. Always there in your dreams where you can't escape them. He couldn't run from them, he's tried before.

" _You're pathetic, the royal family doesn't show weaknesses."_

Fighting back the tears, fighting against _remembering_ \- he stumbled onto the beach, collapsing on his hands and knees in the sand. This was the same beach where he would make sand castles with Azula and Lu Ten. The same beach where he would draw pictures in the sand with his mother. The same beach where he first realized that something was wrong with his family, with _him_.

" _Embrace the pain, let it make you stronger."_

He couldn't fight it anymore. The memories were swirling around, they were demanding to be noticed, to be remembered. He grit his teeth, grabbed fistfuls of sand, anything to distract him from them. But the memorie's demands were too strong, too recent to ignore, and you can't escape from your own mind.

xXx

 _The room was filled with the sickly stench of burned flesh. His father grinned as he snapped his fiery whip against Zuko's back once again. He was holding back his tears, his screams. But it was so hard. Father said he was doing this to make him stronger. It's just a test, a test to prove myself. He repeated this in his mind, over and over again, trying to force himself to believe it. But the overwhelming pain did not agree with him, and a long groan escaped from his lips._

" _You're pathetic." His father's voice was filled with contempt. "The royal family doesn't show weaknesses." Ozai lifted the whip again and cracked it down forcefully. The impact brought Zuko to his hands and knees. It tore through his skin while simultaneously cauterizing the wounds._

 _He heard screaming, and it took him a while to realize that it was coming from him. His back was aching, pounding, pulsing in time with his erratic heartbeat. His chest felt tight, like the skin had shrunk. But the firewhips were far more painful than an open flame. The rest of his body numb, he was so tired and hot and cold all at the same time. It was a familiar feeling._

 _Three years ago. Three years since his father burned a mark of shame and dishonor on his face. Nothing would ever hurt more than that day. Not the pain- that hadn't changed. But the betrayal that ripped through his heart, that was what hurt the most. The knowledge that his father, his_ _**father**_ _did that to him, it was excruciating. But now Zuko knew what his father was capable of. He knew what to expect._

" _Embrace the pain, let it make you stronger, Prince Zuko." Prince Zuko. That was all his father ever called him. He bit his tongue in a desperate attempt to stem his screams. He couldn't fail. He had to do this, to prove to his father that he was worthy. He had to pass this test. The Day of Black Sun was close, less than a week away. Father wanted to be sure that he was prepared, that he was truly a prince of the Fire Nation._

 _Or at least that's what Zuko kept telling himself._

 _Another crack. Zuko flinched as it made contact, but it wasn't as painful as the last ones were. Father was talking. But it was like he was under water- Zuko couldn't make out the words. His vision was getting blurry, he felt dizzy. His mind seemed to separate from his body, from the pain- it was all slowly ebbing away. His body jolted again as the whip struck for the thirteenth time (Zuko knew this for sure). But he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything anymore. As he slumped onto the ground with one last moan, he thought he could hear something. But that was ridiculous- he hadn't heard that sound in years._

 _Ozai was laughing._

xXx

Zuko blinked. Tears were streaming down his face, and he hastily wiped them off. This was just embarrassing. He was crying on a beach for Agni's sake. If father saw this- and then he shuddered when he remembered exactly why he was crying on the beach. He's never had a flashback when he while he was awake before. That was strange. But he _did_ just confirm his friend's suspicions. Maybe that's what happens when you confess stuff like that?

Oh. He just told everyone. This was not good. Now they were going to do what the entire crew did back on his ship. They were going to be overly-nice to him, talk to him in hushed voices, cast him pitying glances. Zuko groaned. Just when he thought he found some friends who accepted him for who he was, _this_ happened. They all knew. They were all going to do the Pity Sequence (that's what Zuko called it).

Zuko had felt cornered back at dinner. He had a feeling that they planned this. How else would the conversation turn the way it did? They said that he was a part of their family, and that family told each other everything. Zuko didn't know how he felt about that. Happy? Maybe. But it was so foreign to what Zuko knows about his family. After mom disappeared his views on the term _family_ drastically changed.

You absolutely can _not_ show weakness in front of your family. You cannot disobey your father, or there would be dire consequences. Be the best, conquer the weak. Show no mercy. Avoid Azula. Stay submissive, don't provoke or challenge them. Don't trust or, Agni forbid, _love_ your family. And  definitely do not talk about _emotions_ with your family.

The idea that he would tell his family about how he feels, about his _weaknesses_ , was bizarre and a little scary to Zuko. But- he felt a little excited by it. He definitely viewed Toph as the little sister he never had (Azula definitely did not count). Aang was what he imagined a little brother would be like- annoying, frustrating, but also endearing. Sokka and Suki were good friends (also a weird concept for Zuko). And Katara- well, Zuko didn't know what to think of her. She was a good friend, but he felt like he had a special connection with her. Something more.

So maybe talking about his feelings was hard for him, but he couldn't imagine doing it with anybody else than his new family.

xXx

Nobody moved after Zuko left. They were all in shock. Katara felt numb. The logic-part of her brain knew that Ozai hurt Zuko, but she never really _accepted_ it until he confirmed it. Now that she knows for sure, she doesn't know what to do. Zuko fled when she tried to comfort him. That hurt a little, but she understood why he did it. They just forced him to relive his own father abusing him, so of course he wouldn't want anybody touching him for a while. But Katara felt that he shouldn't be alone after what he had said.

Toph seemed to agree with her on this, because she stood up and said (very shakily, which worried Katara): "Let's go after him. He needs us right now." All of them followed her out the door.

They checked the house first, since none of them had seen which direction Zuko went after he left. The search spread outside after they didn't find him inside. Toph tried to use her earthbending to find him, but she couldn't detect his vibrations anywhere. This left them a little confused; but then Sokka had one of his rare moments of ingenuity and declared that he must be on the beach, because Toph couldn't feel the vibrations as well on sand. (Sokka could be so smart sometimes, but he also tends to do stupid things. Who would lick slime off a cave wall after hallucinating on cactus juice all day?)

xXx

Zuko had been crying. There weren't any tears on his face, but his eyes gave it away ‒ shiny and red-rimmed. He was hugging his legs while his head rested on his knees. Katara knelt next to him while the rest of the Gaang gathered around, and hesitantly touched his shoulder. When he didn't react, she gathered him into a fierce hug. At first he stiffened, but then he slowly relaxed into her.

Katara felt tears prick her eyes. She blinked them back as Zuko pulled out of the hug and looked at them. He ducked his head, looking a little embarrassed, and muttered "Sorry I ran away like that."

"It's fine, Zuko, we understand," Sokka said firmly. "And we're sorry too. We shouldn't have forced you to tell us." He glanced at Katara as he said this, and she flushed. He was right. They really did force Zuko to tell them ‒ or at least she did. She got so carried away with trying to help him that she didn't stop when he refused to talk. Katara did that a lot, she would be so intent on helping someone that she wouldn't listen when they refused.

"No, it's okay." Zuko said. "It's just… I've never talked to anybody about… _that_ before."

Suki reached out and touched Zuko's shoulder reassuringly. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We just wanted you to know that you're a part of our family now, and you can tell us anything."

"Yeah, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to, Sparky," Toph said softly.

"No- It's fine, guys. I'll tell you. It's just- I've never done it before. But you guys deserve to know. I've never had any friends before," he added. "So I guess I'm not used to, well… this." He used his hands to gesture at the Gaang, who were all in various states of cuddling in the sand.

"Are you sure?" Katara asked hesitatingly. "We're not forcing you to." She still felt awful about this whole situation. Making Zuko feel forced to confide in them was definitely not her goal. She just wanted him to know that they could help him.

He nodded and whispered: "Yeah, I'm sure." They huddled around him, and soon they were a big mess of cuddling.

xXx

Is this what having a family is like? Cuddling on the beach? Talking about your feelings without worrying about the consequences? This whole situation was very odd for Zuko. He wanted to tell them, but there was still a part of him that expected _something_ to happen afterwards. The logical part of his brain asked his panicking part what could possibly go wrong. The panicky part didn't know, but they were sure that Zuko would regret what he was about to do.

They were all staring at him. But they didn't say anything, and for that Zuko was grateful. He just needed some time to collect his thoughts. He was scared. Scared of being vulnerable. Scared of being rejected. But they were his friends- they cared about him. He had to tell them, but Zuko didn't even know where to begin. How could he even start to tell them? How could he explain what it was like when his father hurt him? He couldn't think of a way, so he decided to start with the war meeting.

xXx

Zuko had been silent for a while, but none of the Gaang said anything. He looked a little confused, like he couldn't quite believe that they wanted to know. Katara grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Okay, she was already hugging him and practically on his lap, but she felt like he needed this (Maybe she needed it a little too). What he was about to do was going to be very hard for him, and she wanted to be supportive. So that naturally meant lots of cuddles and hand-holding. Zuko didn't seem to notice this, however. He looked a little grim as he took a deep breath and started to talk.

"My father… well you could say that he never… approved of me. So I was always looking for ways to impress him. When I was thirteen there was this war meeting. I thought that if I couldn't be as good as Azula in firebending, then I could at least be a great general. So I got my Uncle to let me in the war meeting.

"Uncle told me not to speak during the meeting, and I agreed. But I ended up speaking anyway. There was this horrible plan that a general presented. He suggested sending a regiment of new recruits to distract an experienced Earth Kingdom army while another regiment came in from behind. The general knew that the new recruits would be slaughtered, but he wanted to go through with the plan anyway. I thought that the new recruits didn't deserve that, and I protested against the plan.

"My father was furious. I had disrespected the general by interrupting him, so he ordered me to fight an Agni Kai. The general was old and I knew that I could take him, but when I faced my opponent in the courtyard, the general wasn't there." Zuko closed his eyes for a moment and took a shaky breath. Katara thought that she knew where this was going, and was dreading what her friend would say next.

"By speaking out in the war chamber, I hadn't only disrespected the general, but my father as well. So it was my father I had to fight. I tried to apologize to him, but he refused to stop the fight. I hadn't meant to disrespect my father, so I knelt down and told him that I was his loyal son and I wouldn't fight him. He ordered me to rise and fight, but I refused. Then he- he said: 'You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.' And that's when… that's when he lit his hand and hit me in the face.

Zuko clenched his hands into fists and stared at the ground, blinking hard in a desperate attempt to hold back tears. Katara felt sick to her stomach. She had no idea- how could anybody do that to a _child?_ Their own child? She felt a small hand creep into her own, and she was very surprised to see that it's owner was Toph. The little earthbender's eyes were wide and sad. Aang looked like he was in shock. His face was pale, and he had somehow wriggled in between Sokka and Suki during the story. Her brother and the Kyoshi warrior didn't seem to notice. They were holding hands and staring at Zuko in a stunned silence. But Zuko continued talking before they could think of something to say.

"And the next thing I knew, I was in the infirmary. I was only there for an hour, but my father had already sent me a note telling me that I was banished. I had lost my honor when I refused to fight. The only way I could get it back was to capture the Avatar. He sent me off on a ship the next day. I spent three years looking, and that's when I found you guys at the South Pole." Zuko looked very ashamed of himself now. "I know that I was an asshole back then, but I really just wanted to get home. I didn't care about the war. That's why I… did what I did in Ba Sing Se. I was homesick for three years, and I finally had the opportunity to go home." He looked apologetically at Katara as he said this.

"When I finally got back to the palace, it seemed so different to me. Now I know that I was the one who changed. I had seen what the Fire Nation did to the Earth Kingdom, and I couldn't get that out of my mind. The only thing that was still the same was Azula and Ozai. Even though I helped defeat the Avatar, or they thought I did, they still hated me. They didn't trust me either.

"That's when father started these… tests. He thought I was too weak, so he would… test my pain tolerance." Katara felt tears drip down her face. Ozai sickened her. He was a horrible man who did horrible things. She grabbed Zuko's hand again, but she wasn't sure if it was to reassure him or herself.

"At first he would just use fire. He would tell me not to show any signs of weaknesses and then… burn me. If I made any noise than he would make the flames hotter. After that he would use fire whips." Zuko let out a low, humorless chuckle. "He told me it was to make me stronger, but I think it was more of a game to him."

Zuko paused again, but by the look on his face he wasn't going to continue. He was emotionally drained, Katara could tell. (She made it her personal goal to understand Zuko's facial expressions. Most people thought that he always had a stoic face, but if you looked closely you could see the subtle differences with each expression.) He was talked-out. There would be no more story telling from him tonight.

xXx

Relief. That must be the feeling that was washing over him. He felt lighter, almost, like he was carrying that story on his back for three years, and now it's gone. It was a strange feeling. That story had plagued him for so long, no matter how deep he buried it in his mind. It was liberating to be free of it.

Exhaustion. He was so tired. If he didn't get up soon he would fall asleep for sure. His eyes pricked, but Zuko did not want to cry in front of his friends. His new family. However, one lone tear managed to escape his efforts and slid down his cheek.

With a start he realized that Katara was holding his hand. When did that happen? It felt nice. No- it felt _right_. Like their hands were meant to be together. He studied them. Dark and light. Tan and pale. They were really complete opposites. Yin and Yang.

He was tired. That's probably why he was having these thoughts. These and other thoughts about a certain waterbender…. But it was _only_ because he was so tired!

xXx

"Hey," Sokka exclaimed unexpectedly. "Aang, when did you get here?" Startled, the everybody looked at the indignant Sokka and the sheepish Avatar, who was practically in Sokka's lap at the moment. Leave it to her brother to provide comic relief to break the tension. It also gave Zuko a moment to collect himself while the others were distracted. She felt a flash of concern for him.

The firebender hastily wiped away a rogue tear while the others watched Sokka shove Aang off his lap. She held her breath as he turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and she noticed that Zuko's eyes were very nice to look at. She's never seen eyes that were such a perfect shade of gold before. His gaze slid downwards. Katara also looked down and blushed a little when she realized that she was still holding his hand. But she kind of liked it, so she didn't let go, and neither did he.

Their little moment was ruined by Toph; who, to everybody's surprise, tackled Zuko to the ground and sat on his chest. Toph had tears in her eyes. Katara knew that Zuko and her had a brother-sister bond, it must have hurt her a lot to hear what Zuko's own family did to him.

"Listen to me, Zuko," Toph yelled, poking Zuko in the chest. "Ozai is a frickin bastard who doesn't deserve to be related to you. In fact, as far as I'm concerned he isn't related to you at all. You're a part of _our_ family now."

"Thanks, Toph." Zuko looked a little baffled at this situation- like he's never been tackled, sat on, and yelled at by a tiny blind earthbender before (which is probably the case). He grinned and ruffled Toph's hair. Toph stayed in his lap when he sat up. (Katara had to contain the "awww" that was trying to come out).

Suki glanced towards me while hiding a smile, she obviously agreed and thought that Zuko and Toph's relationship was adorable. "Are you okay?"

Zuko nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"So… You're not mad at us for… bringing it up?" Katara asked.

"No, no, guys it's okay. I probably should have told you anyway, but... I guess you guys already know that I'm not used to this sort of stuff. So, thanks for… you know, listening."

"We're here for you, Zuko. But be a pal next time and just tell us so we don't have to force it out of you," Sokka joked. Zuko nodded again, but this time he was smiling.

It was starting to get late. Aang had dozed off on Sokka's lap ("How did he get on my lap _again?!_ ) and Toph yawned widely. Katara decided that this unplanned beach party was over. "Alright!" She exclaimed, startling Aang awake. "It's way past Toph and Aang's bed time. Let's head back."

So the very sleepy Gaang trudged back to the house (Sokka had to carry Aang back because he fell asleep again).

xXx

" _Please father, I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son."_

 _Zuko couldn't believe it. He was kneeling again, kneeling on the ground in front of_ _ **him**_ _. No- He was feeling better! He had talked to his friends, his new family- was that not enough to keep these nightmares away? His father loomed above him, nothing but a dark silhouette- a monster. He knew what was coming, but he couldn't do anything about it. No, not again, please, I can't do this again!_

" _Rise and fight, Prince Zuko." No, he couldn't- not against his Fire Lord, his father. He couldn't fight his family-_

" _You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." His fist was blazing with fire, hot white flames. Zuko couldn't move, he was paralyzed with fear, he knew what was coming, he couldn't stop it- no! Father, please-_

xXx

Katara woke up suddenly. She was sure that she heard something, somebody in her sleep. She slid out of bed and padded across the room. Opening the door, Katara listened carefully. Nothing. That was odd. She thought she had heard somethi- There! It sounded like a groan.

Katara tiptoed into the hallway, keeping alert for any more noises. There it was again- coming from the room across from her. It was Zuko's room. She quickly crossed the hallway and knocked his door lightly. "Zuko? Are you okay?"

He didn't answer. Katara pressed her ear against the door and heard another moan coming from inside. Very carefully easing the door open, she peered inside. It was very dark, but she could see the outline of Zuko on his bed. He was asleep. She was about to close the door when she heard him whimper: "No! Father, please!"

Zuko started to thrash around on the bed. Katara rushed into the room and was at his side in seconds. She tried shaking him awake, but that seemed to make it worse. Zuko jerked away from her and cried out wildly. Not knowing what else to do, Katara eased herself gently onto the bed and rubbed soothing circles on Zuko's back. When he calmed down Katara laid down beside him and grabbed his hand. She started to murmur encouraging words, things you would normally say to comfort somebody. "Shhh, it's okay. You're going to be fine, I'm here. Everything is okay."

Katara knew what he was dreaming about. He was with that _frickin bastard_ (as Toph had said), and she was determined to help him.

"Zuko, _he's not your father_ , he never was."

xXx

 _It was coming- his father's fist, lit like a torch, was arching down. Time slowed. Zuko couldn't close his eyes, he was forced to watch as it inched towards his face. And just as he braced himself for the excruciating pain that he knew so well, it stopped._

 _His father had froze in time, as still as a statue. Everything was bathed in a soft blue light. Zuko could hear a voice, a beautiful, soothing voice. It flowed through the room like water, and although he couldn't understand what she was saying, he felt at peace. He could listen to that voice for the rest of eternity and be content._

 _Water. Rushing water. It surged into the room and parted around Zuko, surrounding his father. Encasing him in a block of ice. Suddenly, Katara's voice rose above the sound of the roaring water._

" _He's not your father, he never was."_

 _His father- no,_ _ **Ozai**_ _\- exploded._

xXx

Katara felt Zuko's entire body relax with a sigh. She smiled. Reaching over, she brushed his bangs out of his face. Her hand hovered over his scar. She hesitated for a moment before very gently stroked his left cheek. The scar was rough and warm under her fingers. He was a _child_ when that **monster** did this to him. And even when the wound had healed, Zuko was still haunted by it. Katara knew that Zuko couldn't stop the nightmares, but she could. She would do it every night if she had to. He didn't deserve this.

Too tired to walk back to her own room, Katara fell asleep right where she was. Zuko slept peacefully next to her, for the first time in three years.

xXx

The next morning, they were startled awake by a very angry Sokka ("What are you doing with my _sister_?"), amused Suki ("They're so cute together"), outraged Aang ("Get away from my forever girl!), and smug Toph (" _Finally_!")

xXx

Author's Note

Hello! (*waves*) You have reached the end of my VERY long chapter 3 and the **end** of this story! *wipes tear*

~The asterix's:

*"He was going to have to fight - and maybe kill* - this guy." (Aang's POV) Okay. I think at this point Aang isn't sure what to do about Ozai. I mean he didn't feel conflicted about killing Ozai during the Day of Black Sun. So I think that Aang presents the whole "I don't wanna kill the Fire Lord" thing in canon after a lot of thought.

**"He wants me dead, he's tried to kill me twice already!" (Zuko) So the first time Ozai tried to kill Zuko was the night Ursa disappeared. Because Ozai was so going to do it, that counts in my mind. The second time is obviously when he shoots Zuko up with lightning.

~ I am planning on writing an **Azula POV** as a companion piece to this story, so keep an eye out for that. (I will update this part with the name of the story when I think of it)

~ I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE FOLLOWS, FAVORITES, AND REVIEWS. And also a special thanks to anybody who sent SUPER helpful critiques (you know who you are). Also thank you readers for dealing with my awful procrastination and random outbursts on my profile :D


End file.
